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Supreme Leader decides future of Iran-US relations: Rezaie

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Shiraz, March 11, IRNA -- Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei is the only person who is authorized to decide about Tehran-Washington relations, the secretary of the Expediency Council, Mohsen Rezaei, said on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters in Shiraz on Sunday, Rezaie noted that the US doesn’t seek a logical relation with Iran.

“Despite the fact that Islamic Republic has shown good willing in various occasions, American officials want Tehran to bend toward them in any potential negotiation.”

He voiced hope that the upcoming talks between Tehran and the G5+1(Permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) make a constructive result.

It is important to know that the last round of the fresh talks between Tehran and the Group 5+1 ended in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on February 27.

During the talks Iran and the world powers agreed to hold experts meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 17-18 and then continue their talks at the level of their top negotiators in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on April 5-6.

Before Almaty talks, Iran and the G5+1 had already held three rounds of negotiations in Geneva, two rounds in Istanbul, one round in Baghdad and one round in Moscow. The last round of talks between Iran and the Group 5+1 was held in Moscow in June.

In case of direct talks between Tehran and Washington, it should be asserted that Supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution have recently dismissed the US offer of direct talks with Iran, saying that the proposal has been made in word, while Washington's actions show a different course, meaning that the offer is nothing but a cunning move.

The Iranian Supreme Leader's remarks came after the US Vice-President Joe Biden, speaking at this year's Munich Security Conference, reiterated previous indications that the US was prepared to talk one-on-one with Iran.

The United States and Iran broke diplomatic relations in April 1980, after Iranian students seized the United States' espionage center at its embassy in Tehran. The two countries have had tense relations ever since, but have shown willingness to attend talks to help resolve regional issues, including security in Iraq. Yet, the two countries have avoided talks on bilateral issues for the last thirty years.

Washington and its Western allies accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program, while they have never presented any corroborative evidence to substantiate their allegations. Iran denies the charges and insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

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Islamic Republic News Agency/IRNA NewsCode: 80579032